Thieves are targeting farm vehicles in Derbyshire and Staffordshire for use in ram raids to steal cash machines - forcing farmers to set up their own online group to stamp out the practice.

Concerns have been raised over an alleged lack of security on farm vehicles which are being stolen by criminal gangs to plough into shop walls and windows in the raids.

The fears follow a sharp rise in the number of gangs stealing farm vehicles and ramming them into shops across South Derbyshire and East Staffordshire, often causing devastation to businesses.

South Derbyshire residents say the vehicles could easily be stolen after it was reported that a digger was taken from a farm in Netherseal and used to smash a hole into the wall of the Co-op in Kings Bromley last year.

Ram raid on the Spar Shop on Rosliston Road in Stapenhill, using a telescopic handler.

The claims were made in the latest Linton Safer Neighbourhood meeting. Derbyshire Police revealed it was handing out advice to farmers while officers added that a Facebook group had been created by farmers in the area providing information on any suspicious activity.

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"We also realised there was a gap in wildlife and rural community teams in South Derbyshire. There is now a sergeant and five officers in the north of the county and they are having great success."

In a previous meeting, Mr Powell asked why farmers didn’t put trackers on their valuable vehicles. He was told advice was being given out and PCSO Dave McMillan said thieves often knew where the tracker was located and removed it.

Ram-raid on the cash point at the Nisa Store on Station Road, Hatton, using a telescopic handler.

The Burton Mail revealed in November last year, that more than 40 shops had been targeted by gangs in the last 18 months.

Derbyshire Police said they had been called to eight ram raids in the last 12 months, while Leicestershire were called to 19 cash raids in the last 18 months. Staffordshire Police revealed officers were called to a total of 14 raids in the last 23 months. They attended four ATM raids in 2016 and 10 raids in 2017.

The incidents

Some of the more high-profile raids in South Derbyshire have included the Nisa store, in Hatton, where shocking CCTV footage showed a gang using a digger to smash their way into the shop before dragging the cash machine from the wall and loading it into a trailer.

Officers were sent to the scene immediately and confronted the gang, with one thug throwing a metal bar at officers before they sped off in the vehicles. The raid happened on Thursday, August 3.

JCB digger in the side of the Co-op in Kings Bromley. The vehicle is said to have been stolen from Netherseal

North West Leicestershire has seen a spate of high-profile ram raids on shops in Ashby. On July 10 shoppers and retailers woke up to scenes of devastation at the Nationwide Building Society when a digger was used to smash into the building and steal the cash machine.

More recently in Ashby, the Aldi supermarket was targeted on November 3. A video captured the scene following the incident, and showed debris, including the key pad from the cash machine, covering the floor. The thieves escaped empty-handed.

Thieves used a digger to steal a cash machine from a bank in Ashby town centre

In East Staffordshire there was a raid at the Spar Shop, in Rosliston Road, Stapenhill, on October 2, where thieves used a telescopic handler to rip the ATM machine from the wall.

The Co-op, in Kings Bromley, was also targeted on August 2. A masked gang used a digger to smash their way through the side of the store in an apparent attempt to steal the ATM machine from inside.

The attempt failed and they left empty-handed, leaving the cash machine dangling from the arm of the JCB digger by a cable.